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Biography
BLP sources|date=January 2008Infobox musical artist | Name = Vic Damone| Img =| Img_capt =| Img_size =| Landscape =| Background = solo_singer| Birth_name = Vito Rocco Farinola| Alias =| Born = birth date and age|1928|6|12 Brooklyn, New York , United States | Died =| Origin = Brooklyn, New York , United States | Instrument = Vocals | Voice_type =| Genre = Traditional pop music|Traditional pop | Occupation = Singer Songwriter | Years_active =| Label = Mercury Records Columbia Records Capitol Records Warner Bros. Records RCA Records Crown Records | Associated_acts =| URL = http://www.vicdamone.com www.vicdamone.com| Current_members =| Past_members =| Notable_instruments = Vic Damone (born June 12, 1928) is an United States|American singer and entertainer.
Biography
Early life
Damone was born Vito Rocco Farinola in Brooklyn, New York to French-Italian immigrants based in Caserta, Italy�Rocco and Mary (Damone) Farinola. His father was an electrician and volunteer firefighter; his mother taught piano . Inspired by his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra , Damone began taking voice lessons. He sang in a choir at St. Finbar's Church in Bath Beach, Brooklyn for Sunday Mass under organist Anthony Amorello. When his father was injured at work, Damone had to drop out of high school. He worked as an usher and elevator operator in the Paramount Theater, in Manhattan .cite web|title =Vic Damone: Biography |first=Steve|last=Huey |publisher=Allmusic| url =Allmusic|class=artist|id=vic-damone-p12681/biography|pure_url=yes |accessdate =2010-11-23 He met Perry Como , who asked him into his dressing room to sing for him. Impressed, Como referred him to a local bandleader. Farinola decided to call himself Vic Damone, using his mother's maiden name.
Career
Damone entered the talent search on '' Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts '' and won in April 1947. This led to his becoming a regular on Godfrey's show. He met Milton Berle at the studio and Berle got him work at two night clubs. By mid 1947, Damone had signed a contract with Mercury Records .
His first release, " I Have But One Heart ", reached #7 on the Billboard magazine|Billboard chart. " You Do " (released November 1) reached the same peak. These were followed by a number of other hits. In 1948 he got his own weekly radio show, Saturday Night Serenade.
In 1951 in film|1951 , Damone appeared in two Film|movie s: The Strip and Rich, Young and Pretty . From 1951 to 1953 he served in the United States Army , but before going into the service he recorded a number of songs which were released during that time. He served with future Northwest Indiana radio personality Al Evans, and also country music star Johnny Cash . After leaving the service, he married the Italian actress Pier Angeli (Anna Maria Pierangeli), and in 1954 in film|1954 made two more movies: Deep in My Heart (1954 film)|Deep in My Heart and Athena (film)|Athena . He also made some guest appearances on Milton Berle 's television show in 1954.
In 1955, Damone had only one song on the charts, "Por Favor," which did not make it above #73. However, he did have major roles in two movie musicals, Hit the Deck (1955 film)|Hit the Deck and Kismet (1955 film)|Kismet . In early 1956, he moved from Mercury to Columbia Records and had some success on that label with hits like "On the Street Where You Live" (from My Fair Lady , his final pop top ten) and "An Affair to Remember" (from An Affair to Remember|the movie of the same name ). His six original, long-playing albums on Columbia between 1957 and 1961 were That Towering Feeling , Angela Mia , Closer Than a Kiss , This Game of Love , ''On the Swingin' Side and Young and Lively .
In 1961, he was released by Columbia, moving over to Capitol Records , where he filled in the gap left by Frank Sinatra's leaving to help found Reprise Records . He lasted at Capitol only until 1965; however, he recorded some of his most highly-regarded albums there, including two which made the Billboard (magazine)|Billboard chart, Linger Awhile with Vic Damone and The Lively Ones , the latter with arrangements by Billy May , who also arranged another of Damone's Capitol Records|Capitol albums, Strange Enchantment . Other original Capitol albums included My Baby Loves to Swing , The Liveliest , and On the Street Where You Live .
In the summers of 1962 and 1963 Damone hosted a television variety series on NBC called The Lively Ones , which showcased current jazz, pop and folk performers as well as comedians. His distinguished group of musical guests over two seasons included Count Basie , Louie Bellson , Dave Brubeck , Chris Connor , Matt Dennis , Frances Faye , Ella Fitzgerald , Dizzy Gillespie , Buddy Greco , Woody Herman , Jack Jones (singer)|Jack Jones , Stan Kenton , Gene Krupa , Peggy Lee , Nellie Lutcher , Shelly Manne , Anita O'Day , Ruth Olay , Oscar Peterson , Andre Previn , Della Reese , Shorty Rogers , Cal Tjader , and Joe Williams (jazz singer)|Joe Williams .
Other notable television work during this time included Damone's three guest appearances on Judy Garland 's CBS variety series The Judy Garland Show (1963�64). In addition to his solo performances on these three episodes, Damone and Garland sang duet medleys of songs from Porgy and Bess , West Side Story , and Kismet (musical)|Kismet .
In 1964, he sang Back Home Again in Indiana , before the Indianapolis 500 car race.Recording of 1964 Indy 500, Indianapolis Radio Network, May 30, 1964
In 1965 Damone moved next to Warner Bros. Records , releasing the albums You Were Only Fooling and Country Love Songs . On Warners he had one chart hit: "You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)." The next year he moved again, to RCA Victor Records , releasing the albums Stay with Me , ''Why Can't I Walk Away , On the South Side of Chicago and The Damone Type of Thing . In 1969 he released his last US chart record, a cover of the 1966 song "To Make A Big Man Cry", which made the Billboard Easy Listening chart.
Later career
In 1971, Damone started touring Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas casinos as a performer, and although he had to declare bankruptcy in the early 1970s, he earned enough as a casino performer to clear up his financial difficulties. He extended his geographical range, touring through the United States and the United Kingdom , and as a result of his popularity decided to record some albums again, releasing them on the RCA label.
His final album was issued in 2002, with other albums being re-packaged and re-released. He has recorded over 2,000 songs over his entire career.
He has garnered new fans following the launch of the Vic Damone website in 2002 www.vicdamone.com, managed by his son-in-law William "Bill" Karant.
One of his final public performances was on January 19, 2002 at the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach, Florida . Damone did however step out of retirement on January 22, 2011, when he performed at the Kravis Performing Arts Center in Palm Beach, Florida to a sold out crowd. Damone dedicated this performance to his six grandchildren who had never seen him perform.cite web|url= http://www.vicdamone.com/news_updates.html|title=News and Updates|accessdate=January 22, 2011
In Brett Ratner 's movie Money Talks , Chris Tucker 's character sees a commercial about Vic Damone and then pretends to be Damone's son.
On June 12, 2009, Vic Damone released his autobiography titled Singing Was the Easy Part from St. Martin's Press .
Personal life
Damone has married five times and divorced four:
1) The Italy|Italian actress Pier Angeli|Anna Maria Pierangeli (Pier Angeli) (1954& ndash;1958) (one son - Perry)
3) Becky Ann Jones (1974& ndash;1982), the United States|American entertainer
4) Diahann Carroll (1987& ndash;1996) (This relationship is referenced in the 1997 film Money Talks , in which Chris Tucker 's character claims to be Vic Damone Jr., the son of Damone and Carroll)
5) Rena Rowan-Damone (1998 to present), the fashion designer and co-creator of Jones New York (Jones Apparel Group).
Damone has 6 grandchildren from his daughters (Tate, Page, Sloan, Rocco, Daniella Grace, Grant).
In the late 1950s, Damone was introduced to the Bah�'� Faith by a drummer in his band. Damone relates his rendition of "On the Street Where You Live" incorporates gestures meant to summon a sustaining vitality from `Abdu'l-Bah� . http://bahai-library.com/newspapers/2000/062900.html Music, faith can guide us, a singer believes - By Pat Kinney He officially joined the religion in the early 1960s.
Awards
In 1997, Damone received his high school diploma from Lafayette High School (New York City)|Lafayette High School in Brooklyn when officials with the school granted credits for life experience and asked him to give the commencement address - advising students to "Have spiritual guidance. Don't lose God. There is a God. Trust me."
In 1997, Damone received the "Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award" from the Songwriters Hall of Fame . http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/award_recipient_detail.asp? ceremonyId=9& awardRecipientId=72 1997 Award and Inductee Ceremonies
Frank Sinatra said that Damone had "the best set of pipes in the business".
For his contribution to the recording industry, Vic Damone has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street in Los Angeles, California.
Hit Records
Year
Single
Chart positions
U.S.
U.S. AC
UK
1947
"I Have But One Heart"
7
"You Do"
7
1948
"Thoughtless"
22
"My Fair Lady"
27
"It's Magic"
24
"Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart"(with Patti Page)
23
1949
"Again"(gold record)
6
"You're Breaking My Heart"(gold record)
1
"The Four Winds and the Seven Seas"
16
"My Bolero"
10
"Why Was I Born? "
20
1950
"Sitting By the Window"
29
"God's Country"
27
"Vagabond Shoes"
17
"Tzena Tzena Tzena"
6
"Just Say I Love Her"
13
"Can Anyone Explain"
25
"Cincinnati Dancing Pig"
11
"My Heart Cries For You"
4
"Music By the Angels"
18
1951
"Tell Me You Love Me"
21
"If"
28
"My Truly Truly Fair"
4
"Longing For You"
12
"Calla Calla"
13
1952
"Jump Through the Ring"
22
"Here In My Heart"
8
"Take My Heart"
30
"Rosanne"
23
1953
"Sugar"
13
"April In Portugal"
10
"Eternally"
12
"Ebb Tide"
10
"A Village In Peru"
30
1954
"The Breeze and I"
21
"The Sparrow Sings"
27
1955
"Por Favor"
73
1956
" On the Street Where You Live "
4
1
"War and Peace"
59
1957
"Do I Love You"
62
"An Affair To Remember"
16
29
1958
"Gigi"
88
"The Only Man On the Island"
24
1962
"What Kind of Fool Am I"
131
1965
"You Were Only Fooling"
30
8
"Why Don't You Believe Me"
127
25
"Tears (For Souvenirs)"
35
1967
"On the South Side of Chicago"
22
"It Makes No Difference"
12
"The Glory of Love"
15
1968
"Nothing To Lose"
40
"Why Can't I Walk Away"
21
1969
"To Make a Big Man Cry"
31
Songs
The following songs recorded by Damone made the Billboard magazine|Billboard charts:
"An Affair to Remember" (#16) (1957)
" Again (1949 song)|Again " (#6) (1949) (arguably a bigger hit for Doris Day and Gordon Jenkins , but a gold record for Damone)
" April in Portugal (song)|April in Portugal " (#10) (1953)
"Calla Calla" (#13) (1951)
" Can Anyone Explain? (No& #33; No& #33; No!) " (#25) (1950) (bigger hit for The Ames Brothers )
"Cincinnati Dancing Pig" (#11) (1950)
"Do I Love You (Because You�re Beautiful)" (#62) (1957)
" Ebb Tide (song)|Ebb Tide " (#10) (1953)
"Eternally (The Song From Limelight)" (#12) (1953)
"Four Winds and Seven Seas" (#16) (1949)
" Gigi (song)|Gigi " (#88) (1958)
"God�s Country" (#27) (1950)
" Here in My Heart " (#8) (1952) (bigger hit for Al Martino )
" If (They Made Me a King)|If " (#28) (1951) (bigger hit for Perry Como )
" I Have But One Heart " (#7) (1947)
"It�s Magic" (#24) (1948) (bigger hit for Doris Day )
"Jump Through the Ring" (#22) (1952)
" Just Say I Love Her " (#13) (1950)
" Longing for You " (#12) (1951)
"Music By the Angels" (#18) (1950)
"My Bolero" (#10) (1949)
" My Heart Cries for You " (#4) (1950) (bigger hit for Guy Mitchell )
" My Truly, Truly Fair " (#4) (1951) (bigger hit for Guy Mitchell )
" On the Street Where You Live " (#4) (1956)
"Por Favor" (#73) (1955)
"Rosanne" (#23) (1952)
"Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart" (#23) (1948) (duet with Patti Page )
"Sugar" (#13) (1953)
"Sitting By the Window" (#29) (1950)
"Take My Heart" (#30) (1952)
"Tell Me You Love Me" (#21) ( 1951 in music|1951 )
"Tomorrow Never Comes" 1952
" Tzena, Tzena, Tzena " (#7) (1950) (bigger hit for The Weavers )
"Vagabond Shoes" (#17) (1950)
"War and Peace" (#59) (1956)
" Why Was I Born? " (#20) (1949)
" Wonder Why " (#21) (1951)
" You Do " (#7) (1947)
" You're Breaking My Heart " (#1) (1949) (Damone's 2nd gold record and his biggest hit)
"You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love)" (#30) (1965)
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.vicdamone.com Vic Damone's Official Website
http://us.macmillan.com/singingwastheeasypart Vic Damone's autobiography from St. Martin's Press
Allmusic|class=artist|id=p12681|pure_url=yes All Music Guide on Vic Damone
IMDB name|id=0198954|name=Vic Damone
tv.com person|7631|Vic Damone
http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/damone_vic/bio.jhtml VH1 page on Vic Damone
http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/artist_bio.asp? artistId=80 Songwriters' Hall of Fame page on Vic Damone
http://www.epinions.com/content_3859456132 Epinions page on Vic Damone
Persondata | NAME =Damone, Vic | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =June 12, 1928 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Damone, Vic Category:American crooners Category:Traditional pop music singers Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:People from Brooklyn Category:American jazz musicians of Italian descent Category:American Bah�'�s Category:1928 births Category:Living people Category:Mercury Records artists Category:RCA Victor artists
